


pennies in a rose fountain

by FyreLily



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Gore, Character Death, Depression, F/F, Found Family, Gen, Heavy Angst, How Do I Tag, I'm Bad At Tagging, Recovery, Selectively Mute Weiss Schnee, Suicidal Thoughts, pls im putting emphasis on the fact that theres character death DONT READ IF YOU CANT HANDLE THAT, she doesnt do it!!! I promise!!!!, there's also only violence in the first part but im tagging it just to be safe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:21:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29064984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FyreLily/pseuds/FyreLily
Summary: Ruby Rose stands, beautiful as ever, silver eyes glistening. Silver, like the color of the blade buried up to it’s hilt in her chest.Penny’s stunning green eyes expand into black, stars dotting the dark abyss, and she is a night sky.Weiss screams.---The war is over. Salem has been defeated. The kingdoms are at peace.But Penny Polendina and Ruby Rose did not live to see it.And in every sense except physical, neither did Weiss.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna & Yang Xiao Long & Weiss Schnee, Minor Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long - Relationship, Minor Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie - Relationship, Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee, Penny Polendina/Weiss Schnee, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee, minor Oscar Pine/Whitley Schnee, minor Pyrrha Nikos/Weiss Schnee - Relationship
Comments: 32
Kudos: 83
Collections: favs





	pennies in a rose fountain

**Author's Note:**

> hi there!! I wrote this based on a beautiful piece of artwork by [@cosmokyrin](https://twitter.com/cosmokyrin) on twitter!! [you can find it here](https://twitter.com/cosmokyrin/status/1353388930561761280?s=20%E2%80%A6)
> 
> this is a bit of a working title, by the way
> 
> anyway: before you read this fic, PLEASE HEED THE TAGS!!! this is darker than stuff that I usually write, and I don't want to mess up anyone's day or make them upset by causing them to read a sad story that they weren't prepared for. if you stumbled upon this but don't think that it will be right for you, or it'll make you sad, I encourage you to check out my other works!! ive got some lighter stuff that im pretty proud of :) 
> 
> with all that said, please enjoy!!

The pain she feels now is unlike anything Weiss has ever felt. It is not physical, although her arms hurt, her legs ache, her whole body screams in protest from the rough treatment it’s been put through after nearly forty hours without sleep. 

But this is not the unimaginable agony that sends a thousand knives shooting through her heart. 

This is not the unbearable torture that Weiss would do anything to escape. 

It is not quite physical. 

It is the image burned into her mind, the scene that plays out in front of her. 

Penny Polendina’s silver sword, covered in blood. Blood the color of poppies. Blood the color of cherries. 

Blood the color of the cape that it is splattered upon. 

Ruby Rose stands, beautiful as ever, silver eyes glistening. Silver, like the color of the blade buried up to it’s hilt in her chest.

Weiss screams, a terrible sound that echoes through the air, through the empty courtyard, through the rain as it falls onto the pavement. Her suffering fills the silence. 

The rain pounds onto the ground. 

The rain pours through Weiss’s pale hair. 

The rain drips off of Myrtenaster, mixing with the strange, mechanical fluid that covers the rapier. 

Penny turns towards Weiss, her harsh red eyes fading to a lovely, minty green. They open wide with shock, taking in the sight of her own hands holding the weapon that embeds itself in Ruby Rose’s stomach. Weiss watches, salty tears still pouring from her eyes, as Penny realizes that while Weiss holds the hilt of Myrtenaster…

the point of the weapon pokes out of Penny’s torso and.

Weiss is sobbing. 

Ruby and Penny stare at each other in a locked gaze. Weiss can already see the light fading out of those beautiful, starlight eyes. Ruby Rose smiles tiredly. She hadn’t made a noise. 

Not a sound as she acted as the distraction for Penny, not a word as Weiss stabbed her blade into the girl that they both love, not a whisper as she watched the tip of a sword disappear into her own body, not a cry as she felt her own spark of life flicker and dissolve into a tiny ember. 

Ruby’s hand rests gently on Penny’s cheek. She shakes with the effort, but doesn’t let go. Her head turns to Weiss. They had loved each other for a long time, hadn’t they?

And as she smiles, her face filled with love, the curve of her mouth speaking nothing but adoration, the tilt of her chin murmuring no regrets, Ruby Rose is in love with Weiss Schnee. And they are both in love with Penny Polendina. And Penny Polendina is in love with the two of them.

And Ruby’s silver eyes fill with moonlight. They mirror the sky above, the gleaming stars of the heavens shining down on a dead girl’s face. Her eyes are filled with light, but it is no longer a light that shines from within.

Now, merely of a reflection of the world’s beauty.

As all flames do, the spark has gone out. 

Penny drops the sword, and as it clatters to the ground, Ruby falls with it. 

Myrtenaster seems to burn Weiss’s fingers, but she can’t bring herself to let go. The voice inside her head screams at her to drop the sword, to let go, because maybe if she stops holding it then everything will be okay then she’ll be okay then they’ll be okay then everything will be fine and-

Penny is looking up at her with those eyes, oh, _those eyes._

Weiss’s cries stop, and she is silent as the tears continue to drip down her cheeks. 

And Penny twists herself around with what little strength she has left, ignoring how Myrtenaster tears deeper into her chest with the motion. She tenderly reaches for Weiss’s hand, carefully unwinding the Huntress’s fingers from their tight grip, twining her fingers in between Weiss’s. Her other hand rests against Weiss’s face, just as Ruby had done for Penny. 

Weiss can feel her resignation, her acceptance, her knowledge of what is about to happen. 

“No,” Weiss pleads, clutching Penny’s hand. “Please.”

And Penny smiles that same, tired smile. Her fingers begin to lax against Weiss’s cheek. 

“I’m sorry.”

And Penny’s stunning green eyes expand into black, stars dotting the dark abyss, and she is a night sky. 

Weiss is reminded of someone else, of another love, another loss. Bright red hair, bright green eyes. 

_I’m sorry…_

Penny slumps forward, her eyes dark, the light gone. She collapses to the ground, Weiss’s rapier finally torn out of her chest. Ginger hair brushes the ground, emerald eyes open and filled with the moon. 

The rain continues to fall to the Earth, the clouds weeping as Weiss does.

Ruby and Penny’s hands clasp together, fingers intertwined, bodies mirrored, together in death just as in life. 

And beside them, Weiss kneels, soaked to the bone, two bloody weapons cast aside. And she screams, and screams.

“Please, not again, no, _please”_

This can’t be real.

“I can’t lose someone else I love”

Images of a red haired Huntress, a warrior, a _hero._

She reaches for Ruby, burying her hands in the red cape. 

“I promised you I’d be the best teammate!”

She longs for Penny, the brightness and positivity. 

“I wanted to be a part of your life!”

Her lungs grow ragged, her throat becomes frayed.

“You swore you wouldn’t leave my side for a second!”  
  


This isn’t _fair._

“You’re a protector, people still need you!”

This isn’t _right._

“Please, just come back!”

But the world is not fair; the world is not right. 

And Weiss Schnee knows that better than anyone. 

And she wails, sobs, screams her agony to the world as the rain continues to fall. 

The rain falls, the clouds move, people keep going. The world does not stop. 

Except the world has stopped. The world is gone. Everything is over. Everything is broken, and wrong, and there is nothing Weiss can do but _scream._

So she does. She screams.

And screams.

And screams. 

Far past the moment her throat burns in protest, every inch of her body telling her to please stop, it hurts. 

But even if she stops, everything will still hurt. Things will never be okay again. Things will never stop hurting, because this isn’t okay anymore. 

So what’s the point in stopping?

Her grief is an explosion, a torrent of sorrow, and rage, and fury, and pure pain. 

Weiss does not know how long she stays out in the rain, howling her agony to the world. 

She does not know how long it is before someone finds her, before the others have finally fought their own battles, and come looking for the terrible aftermath of hers. 

She does not know what time it is, in the dead of night, when she is discovered, still clasping onto the cold bodies of the girls she wanted to marry one day. 

She does not know how long it takes to bring her back into the house, kicking and screaming hysterically, wailing for her loves to return to her. 

She does not know how long the other spend crying over their fallen teammates.

She does not care.

Everything is wrong, and nothing will ever be right again. 

\---

When Weiss wakes, she does not speak. She cries, stays holed up in her room for days. When she emerges, she does not speak. 

They fight. They win the war.

Weiss does not speak. 

\---

As they fight in the final battle, Weiss is vaguely aware of a new power beneath her skin. It is cold, a freezing cold that turns her blood to ice. 

But at the same time, it is a warmth. The hot thrum of power that courses through her bones. The burning glow of the sun. The chill of wind. The sting of frostbite. 

The unparalleled power of nature. 

The magic of the Winter Maiden. 

And it’s funny; just a bit. Winter, Weiss’s sister, had fought for this power. Believed she deserved it for a long time. Was told she deserved it. Was told she had to have it, for the good of everyone. 

And it’s funny; how Weiss, the girl that lived in her sister’s tall shadow, is the one to receive this power. 

It’s nothing like she thought it would feel like. 

Sometimes, Weiss used to have dreams of being gifted a maiden’s power. She imagined that the instant it was inside of her, she would feel strong, renewed. Like everything was falling into place. 

But the new magic does not fill in the hole that was left behind. It runs through her blood, and she feels strong, but not whole. She feels strong, but only physically. Everything has not fallen into place. She is not renewed, she is not whole. 

Weiss uses the power to help win the war. 

As Salem is defeated, and the reincarnation cycle is finally put to an end, the two immortals take their magic with them as they leave Remnant for the last time, on their journey to whatever lies beyond life. Or maybe the magic doesn’t go with them. Maybe it just disappears, with its source gone. Or maybe it just realizes that there is no more need for magic in this world. These people have their own kind of magic. There is no need, nore desire, for a type that should’ve died out thousands of years ago.

As Salem’s body grows cold, and the number of souls in Oscar’s body decreases to one, magic fades. Weiss feels it. It is not painful - nothing compared to what she has gone through in the past couple of weeks. It is not sad. It simply _is._

Like water washing down a river, the magic flows away. Later, Weiss hears from Oscar that he felt it too. So did Yang, with her mantle as the Spring Maiden, and Emerald, who had been the Fall Maiden for a few short hours. It can be inferred that the Summer Maiden, wherever they were, had experienced the same. 

Weiss dully nods when asked if her power had disappeared in such a manner. She does not care. 

A part of her is glad to see it gone, finally rid of yet another reminder that the light of her life is dead. 

A part of her wails as the power leaves, as the part of her love’s soul that remained with her is lost forever, gone. 

And as Weiss curls up in her bed, for the first time in almost a year that there is peace, she cries again. 

There is peace, there is freedom, there is joy. 

And neither Ruby nor Penny lived to see it. 

Because both of them are dead. Gone. They are not coming back.

Yet, Weiss remains, a ghost floating among the living, a shell drifting among the soulful. 

A part of her is gone, and it will not be returning. 

So Weiss does not speak.

\---

Things get repaired. The city of Atlas is rebuilt. Weiss takes over the Schnee Dust company. 

The white that used to adorn Weiss’s clothing, that used to fill her closets, is gone. 

In its place is the color black. 

The color of emptiness, of nothing, of mourning. 

She wears all black, except for a single strip of lace down her front. 

Enchanting, beautiful red roses, surrounded by green leaves the color of emeralds. 

Weiss does not speak.

\---

Ruby’s body is turned to ash. Penny, being the technical property of Atlas, was taken away. Weiss fought for her, as they all did, but there was nothing to be done. No sum of money could bring Penny back, let alone allow Weiss to keep her body. 

For a while, Weiss keeps Ruby’s ashes in a lovely copper urn above the wide fireplace in her bedroom, engraved with roses and reflecting the flames.

But after only three nights, she realizes that she can’t possibly do this. She can’t possibly live on like this. It’s too much. It’s impossible to do anything. She’s simply too weighed down by the terrible grief, the constant sorrow that plagues her whenever she glimpses the urn. 

Weiss buries part of the ashes in that hill on Patch, Ruby’s headstone right next to Summer’s. Even as a shell of a person, Weiss knows that it’s only fair to let Yang, Blake, and Ruby’s father have a part of their loved one as well. 

Besides, it’s what Ruby would’ve wanted. 

Penny’s empty coffin is buried next to Ruby’s ashes, and Summer’s grave. She has a family now. And she would want to be next to Ruby. 

Maybe, when Weiss dies, she’ll ask to be buried here too. 

A few days later, Weiss takes the remainder of Ruby’s ashes, and goes to the largest strawberry field at the edge of Atlas. 

She takes a deep breath, and lets go. 

  
She watches the ashes scatter, and as the wind takes them away, a part of Weiss leaves with them. 

Just a small part. The majority of her died that night, as Ruby and Penny did. Another small part leaves her here, on the strawberry field. 

But this time, perhaps that’s a good thing. 

Perhaps.

At the funeral, Weiss is a stone statue. She is a perfect, ice-cold figure, a robot that walks around with no emotion. She holds herself together. 

But in the backseat of her car, as she is driven home, tears drench the leather and sobs mix with the low hum of the motor. She does not stop crying for hours.

And yet, Weiss does not speak.

\---

Weiss locks away Myrtenaster in a box. She cannot bear to look at it. The shimmer of the silver metal only reminds her of that night. 

Of the motion of bringing it down on Penny. 

Of the gleam of ruby red blood. 

Of the glimmer of moonlight on the wet steps. 

She can’t look at the weapon without bursting into tears. The box is tucked away in a closet. 

Weiss tries not to think about it. 

She does not speak.

\---

Blake and Yang try to reach out. To talk. To connect. To be there for her.

Somewhere deep inside, Weiss wants to be with them. To have someone to lean on. But she is not ready. 

So Weiss says one final goodbye to both of them. Just a sentence, the last message. 

To Yang, Weiss says “I’m sorry.”

And she is. She’s sorry for what happened, sorry for not being there for Yang, sorry for drifting from her, sorry for not aiding her in the grief caused by her sister’s death.

It hurts to say the words, though. The last thing that Penny ever said to her, now coming out of Weiss’s own mouth. It is a new type of pain.

To Blake, she whispers “Take care of each other.”

Weiss is not a part of their lives anymore. She is not a part of anyone’s life. She wanders, she floats, but she no longer leaves an imprint. Blake and Yang will have to take care of each other. Weiss truly hopes that they will. 

~~The same way that Penny, Ruby, and Weiss should’ve been able to love and take care of each other.~~

These are the last words that leave Weiss’s lips for a long, long time.

Blake and Yang move to Patch, and begin a new life. 

Weiss does not speak.

\---

Ren and Nora go to Mistral. They plan to travel the world, meeting people and going places. Jaune will go with them, as soon as he is done visiting his family. Team JNPR is a family, after all. They tried to reach out too. But after so many failed attempts, they have left Weiss alone. 

Oscar went back to his aunt on his small farm in Mistral. Whitley, with both Winter and Willow dead and Jaques in prison, had nowhere to go, so Oscar decided to take the boy along with him. The two of them begin to go to school at Beacon Academy though the reconstruction is incomplete (and likely will stay that way for a long while).

Weiss is happy for them. They all have each other. They always will. 

But she is jealous, oh so jealous. They have their perfect little lives. 

Weiss will never even be whole again. She is imperfect, damaged, a part of her taken away. A part that will never return. 

And still, Weiss does not speak.

\---

Weiss has strange new habits. All the flowers around the manor are removed, and replaced with roses. Hundreds and hundreds of roses, of every color except for red. 

She collects coins. All kinds of bent ones, damaged ones, rare ones, collector’s coins. She puts them in a box, and locks the box away, opening it only to add another coin. 

In her room, a fountain is built.

A beautiful, marble fountain, in the shape of a budding rose. Water streams from the tip, and from the elegantly carved thorns that dot the stem. In the base of the fountain, under the cool, chilly water, gleam dozens of copper pennies. 

Every night, Weiss throws in another penny. She does not make a wish. She does not pray. She tosses in a coin, watches it sink to the bottom, and goes to bed.

And as she hides under the covers, crying herself to sleep, she stares at the fountain. An alluring, shimmering rose, and glimmering, shiny pennies. The water reflects starlight and moonlight alike, sparkling even in the dark of Weiss’s room.

She does not cry loudly anymore. Not usually. Now, she curls up under the heavy covers, and the tears simply fall. 

As Weiss sleeps, she clutches a large swathe of red fabric. Clean, washed, and looking like new. 

But it is not new. 

  
As Weiss sleeps, she wraps herself up in Ruby Rose’s cape.

Once in a while, Weiss dreams. Sometimes, they are sweet dreams - memories of Ruby’s silly jokes, and Penny’s endless laughter. The three of them, chasing each other through the halls of Atlas Academy, fighting Grimm together with seamless teamwork. 

Those memories are wonderful while she’s asleep, but the moment that Weiss wakes up, they turn sour. Just another reminder of what was, of what could’ve been. Of what would never come to pass. 

Sometimes, her dreams are nightmares - memories of Penny being torn to pieces at the Vytal festival, of Ruby going up that tower and never coming back, of Weiss’s father nearly dragging her away from the people she wants nothing more than to protect. 

Memories of that night. 

Memories of Ruby’s grim determination, the sword piercing her chest. 

Memories of Penny’s final smile, the willingness to die reflected in her eyes.

Memories of the feeling of pushing Myrtenaster into and through Penny’s back. 

Or sometimes, Weiss does not dream at all. Her unconscious state is a black void, lacking any detail, sound, or meaning. Everything is blurred, and when she wakes up, she is the same. 

  
  


Weiss does not speak.

\---

“Hey, Weiss!”

Weiss’s head snaps up towards the voice. No, no it couldn’t be!

And yet, it is. There stands Ruby Rose, dashing down the hall towards her. And following right after her is…

Penny. 

And both of them-

They’re running towards her, smiles on their faces. Alive. Well.

“But I- you-” Weiss croaks. “Is this real?”  
  


Penny laughs, that tinkly fairy laugh that always made a feeling of happy warmth bloom inside Weiss’s chest. “Of course we’re real! Why wouldn’t we be, silly?”

Weiss can barely speak. “But Ruby, she… she.. and I killed you! Oh, Penny, I’m so sorry I’m so so sorry I-”

Weiss is stopped as Penny clasps her hands, and Ruby wraps her arms around Weiss’s shoulders, bringing her into a tight embrace. 

Penny’s minty eyes sparkle. “It’s okay! I know you think you did that, but everything’s okay! We’re here, right?”

Ruby nods, then kisses Weiss’s cheek. “Of course. And we’ll be together forever!”

The girls laugh, and their hug is warm. The joyful sound echoes throughout the hall, and through the house. 

Weiss blinks her eyes open, elated tears pooling in them, a feeling of warmth, utter joy, pure bliss encasing her body. 

But the room is dark. Filtered sunlight does not pour from the windows. There is no laughter echoing through the halls. Instead, there is just the constant sound of the rose fountain. 

The warmth and happiness fade. Weiss turns around and curls in on herself, tears dripping onto the pillow. 

It was just a dream.

And when the morning comes, Weiss does not speak. 

\---

Once in a while, Weiss tries to consider herself lucky that it happened this way.

This time, she was able to tell her loves how she felt. They all knew of each other’s affection, of the pure love and adoration and fondness they all had for each other. As the two people who she cared about most in the world slipped through her fingers, at least they knew how she saw them. 

Last time, it was not the same. 

Last time, she had never been able to say how she felt. 

Last time, the one she loved had died before ever learning that Weiss loved her. 

Last time, they never got to say a final goodbye. 

Last time, it was weeks before Weiss even knew that the girl she loved was dead. 

Last time, Pyrrha Nikos had died, and Weiss was left to pick up the pieces of herself, left to accept the knowledge that Pyrrha would never know how Weiss had adored her every word, how she had wished more than anything that she had the courage to tell Pyrrha how she felt. 

But this time, the one she loved hadn’t been killed by chance. 

This time, Weiss drove the blade into her love’s back with her very own hands. 

This time, Weiss was completely alone. 

And this time, Weiss does not speak.

\---

Exactly two years after that night in the rain and moonlight, Ren and Nora’s daughter is born. 

She has pale ginger hair, and a high pitched giggle. A tight grip, and chubby fingers. 

And a year later, when Weiss comes to visit for just a day, Pyrrha Valkyrie-Ren runs around her parent’s yard wearing a bright colored cape. 

Weiss loves her dearly, she truly does. But every glance, every glimpse, causes pain. 

Yet another reminder. Yet another reminder of all that Weiss has lost. 

She does not visit again. 

She does not speak.

\---

Weiss takes a deep breath, and delves into the closet, searching for a single thing. 

She finds it much more quickly than she would’ve liked. 

The box. 

The box that holds Myrtenaster. 

The weapon that killed the girl she loves. 

Maybe, she can move past this. Maybe, Weiss can open the box, and take out the rapier. Maybe, things will be okay. 

She flips open the lid. 

Inside, gleams the silver metal. 

And in the little slots that she had forgotten to clean out, there is bright red dust, the color of roses, and sparkling green dust, the color of emeralds. 

Weiss closes the box, locks it tight, and shoves it back into the closet as tears pour down her face. 

She does not attempt to open it again. 

She does not speak. 

\---

Sometimes, Weiss goes out with her ice skates. She used to love ice skating. The feeling of twirling over the ice, wind flowing through her hair, cold stinging her cheeks, that wonderful, untouchable feeling. 

So she goes to the frozen lake. No matter what season, the ice is always thick enough to skate safely. 

But Weiss does not dance over the ice. She merely sits on the bench, letting the cold chill her bones, and stares at the ice, at the terrifying blackness below it. 

She stares at the lake, at the glint of shining ice in the sunlight, the sparkle of snow. 

An empty shell. That’s what she is. 

Or sometimes, Weiss will go to the public ice rink. Whenever she had wanted to skate there as a child, it would be rented out for her, so Weiss had it all to herself. 

Not this time. 

Weiss goes in midafternoon, when it would be crowded. She sits on the bench, and watches the dozens of skaters spin and twist and chase each other across the ice. They do not notice her. She is a ghost. 

  
All of their laughter rings out across the air, and people play silly games with their loved ones. 

Weiss is more hollow then she has ever been when she is at the ice rink.

Ruby would’ve loved it here, Weiss knows. She most likely would have been a terrible skater, but the silver eyed girl would’ve enjoyed the activity nonetheless. 

She can imagine Penny skidding across the ice, giggling with glee. Chasing Ruby around on skates, Ruby squealing as she tried to escape Penny’s grasp. Weiss would’ve laughed too, twirling around them and teaching the two of them to be graceful on the ice, enjoying the humor of their antics. 

But that will never happen. 

Weiss leaves the ice rink, and goes home. 

  
She does not speak.

\---

Even while leading her father’s old company, Weiss says not a word. She will write to convey her message if she has to, but it is rare that she is truly needed besides saying yes or no to a few decisions a day. She does not have her father’s twisted devotion to this work. It is not difficult to do. 

Weiss wanders around the Schnee Manor like a spirit, withering away. Her skin is pale, her eyes carry no emotion other than pure misery. 

Weiss’s home is full of ghosts. 

The house echoes her sadness. The overwhelming feeling of grief sinks into its walls, becoming a part of the very structure. Most of the staff leave. Only a few are willing to bear the sorrow. 

Klein is one of the few. He stays as Weiss’s right hand man until the end. But it is difficult - Weiss knows that all he desires is her happiness, but she knows that she cannot give it to him. 

Every time Klein looks at the pale girl, he can see her pain. He can see her suffering. He can see how distanced she is, how removed, how… she isn’t quite there. Weiss is somewhere else. Split in two. 

It’s been like this for more than three years now. 

One day, he finally can take it no longer. Klein approaches Weiss’s bedroom door, opening the door and quietly voicing his question.

“Where’s my little snowflake? When will she come back to me?”

He doesn’t expect an answer. Weiss hasn’t spoken for months. 

Klein turns to leave, wondering if things will ever feel warm in this cold, cold house. 

“She’s dead, Klein.”

He stops short at the sound of Weiss’s hoarse whisper, the noise of a voice that hasn’t been used in a long, long time. 

“She died that night, alongside them.”

Weiss gazes at the rose fountain, and sighs.

“She isn’t coming back.”

\---

It’s not like Weiss hasn’t thought about it. 

It’s not like she hasn’t considered…

It’s not like she just completely ignored the dark thoughts at the edge of her mind, the little whispers that tell her it isn’t worth it. 

They say she’ll never amount to anything.

They tell her that her potential has been wasted. 

They murmur that there’s nothing left for her. 

They laugh that she’s not even a whole person anymore. 

They whisper that at least she'll see her loves again. 

They’ll be together. 

Weiss, reunited with Penny and Ruby. 

The thought brings her a tiny spark of joy. She makes her decision. 

It’s midnight, and the moonlight streams through an open window. The fire went out several hours ago. It’s cold. 

And Weiss is ready.

  
She takes a deep breath. She’s coming. She’ll see them soon. It’ll all be over soon. She will be with them again. 

She exhales, and-

A glint catches her eyes. A copper penny, shimmering below the water of the fountain, as a stream of water descends upon it from the tip of the rose. The bright penny and the shiny marble rose reflect the starlight, sending beautiful patterns across the ceiling. 

What is she doing?

This isn’t right. This isn’t what Penny and Ruby want. 

They would want her to live. They would want her to have a life. 

Penny was a protector. She lived to save people, to bring peace. To defend life itself. 

Ruby was a protector, too. She gave up her childhood, her innocence, her everything to fight an impossible battle, to save everyone she loved. 

And they died, although not in vain. But if Weiss died too, if she threw away their sacrifice, wouldn’t that be worse? Would that make their sacrifices worthless?  
  


She couldn’t do that to them. No, she couldn’t let their lives and deaths be for nothing. 

Weiss stands up, and steps over to the fountain. She sits on the side, dipping her hand in the water, feeling through the pennies, tracing her hand along the marble rose. 

With a soft, weary smile, she gets up.

  
Weiss goes to bed. 

\---

One day, Weiss receives a call from Glynda Goodwitch. Usually, she ignores all calls that she gets, but for some reason, Weiss decides to pick up. 

Glynda asks her to meet for lunch in a week’s time. Surprising even herself, Weiss agrees. It’s only a word. 

Yes. 

But it is progress. 

When the time comes for their lunch, Weiss meets Glynda at a quaint restaurant on the edge of the city, away from all the main attractions and loud noise. Glynda seems to be content with quiet, with letting Weiss stay silent. 

They sit together on a soundless, chilly afternoon, and share a meal. Or rather, Glynda sips tea, and Weiss watches her. 

It is only a small shock when Glynda finally gets to the point. 

“How would you feel about teaching at Beacon next year?”

Weiss blinks. She considers it. A teacher… educating young Hunters, instructing them the proper way to do things, passing down her wisdom, showing them how to save people, and fight monsters. It sounds like something she has always wanted to do. 

But when Weiss wanted that life, she wanted Penny and Ruby by her side.

She is not ready. 

She shakes her head, and meets Glynda’s eyes. “No thank you. But maybe one day.”

Weiss heads back to Schnee Manor. The swift breeze no longer brushes her head. The glowing sun no longer warms her skin. 

It is cold, and lonely. 

Weiss goes for a walk.

\---

Eventually, it becomes too much. She can no longer bear to be in this house, in this kingdom. It’s hard to breathe. Every time she looks out at the front door, at the courtyard that lays past it, she can only think of that night, She can only remember her own screams, Ruby’s cold skin, Penny’s empty eyes. The red of the blood on the ground; the freezing rain blending into it, washing it away.

Each anniversary that passes, her throat grows tighter, and the air becomes less and less clear.

Weiss sells the estate, along with the majority of her possessions. She gives a sum of money to Klein, and the other housekeepers that had remained. She wants to show her gratitude, but she is too lost to truly tell them, so this is the only way she knows how.

The Schnee Dust Company is broken up about a week before Weiss sells her house. Once both are gone, she finds herself with a huge amount of money, more than she knows what to do with. 

Weiss helps every cause she can. She donates to funds for helping Mantle, and Faunus rights causes. She gives away almost every possession she has, trying to do some good with the empty life she has been left with. 

Oscar and Whitley invite her to live with them on the farm, and a shock to even herself, Weiss accepts. She moves in with them a couple days later, bringing nothing but two suitcases, and…

The rose fountain. She couldn’t leave it. As soon as Oscar and Whitley come out to greet her, she sees them stiffen. They give her a hug, but immediately realize how distant she is. Oscar whispers something to Whitley. He nods, and carries them into the house. 

Oscar turns to Weiss with an awkward smile. “So… it’s been a while, huh?”

Weiss gives a small nod. Oscar’s almost… what, twenty now? It’s been a long time. And she’s ignored him for almost all of it. Ignored all of them. Four years, without so much as a word to any of them.

She truly has lost herself. 

Oscar sighs, and starts moving the fountain around to the back of the house. Weiss follows him tentatively. When he finally stops, she tilts her head, eyebrows raised in a question. 

Oscar surveys the garden. “I think we could put it here.” He turns to face her. “And I was thinking… maybe surrounded by a garden of roses.”

Tears fill Weiss’s eyes, blurring her vision. She blinks them away and nods. 

“That would be lovely.”

\---

In the country, on the farm, it’s a bit easier. 

Breathing itself is easier. With the fresh air, and stars, and quiet, things feel clearer. Away from that house, away from the place where she lost everything, away from the home that was never a home, Weiss can rest a little bit easier. 

She doesn’t cry quite as much. 

She goes on walks. She sits in the fields. She spends afternoons by the fountain, watching the water gurgle, inhaling the scent of the roses. 

Oscar teaches her how to grow the most beautiful roses. The ones that they have right now were already grown, brought from a flower store, or wherever Oscar gets his flowers. But soon, there will be new roses. And when it’s time, Weiss will plant them herself. 

  
Weiss isn’t quite… close with Oscar and Whitley. They eat their meals together. She sometimes watches as they go about their day. But she does not speak to them, except for the occasional sentence or two when they ask her something that requires more than a yes no answer. 

It is not much. But it is progress. 

\---

Weiss still has so much money on her hands. It is late one night, while she lays awake, when she finally realizes what to do with it. 

When the morning comes, she calls her old teacher. 

\---

“Yes, hello? This is Glynda Goodwitch speaking.”

“Hello, Ms. Goodwitch.”

“...Weiss?”

“Yes.”

“I… what did you call me for?”

“I know it’s been a while, but I’d like to accept that offer.”

“Weiss, it’s been almost two years-”

“Is the offer still open?”

There’s silence on the other end for a moment. Then, a sigh. 

“Yes.”

\---

Weiss arrives in Vale three weeks later, and tells Glynda her plan. 

(Once again, she brings her fountain with her.)

Even years after the war, Beacon has not been truly rebuilt. A portion of it is functioning again, and students go to classes, but it is not the same. 

Now, Weiss Schnee has arrived. And she knows what to do with her leftover wealth. 

As she arrives, Glynda is waiting for her by the entrance. The regard each other, studying what has changed and stayed the same since they last saw each other. Weiss averts her eyes. 

“Miss Schnee… may I hug you?”

Weiss looks up, surprised. Slowly, she nods. 

The embrace is awkward, what with Weiss’s stiffness and all. But it is warm, and safe, and _good._

Glynda finally pulls back, and smiles at her former student. 

They have a job to do.

\---

As they work, and oversee, and make plans, Weiss begins to speak more. Not often. Not as much as she used to. Not as much as most people do. But she speaks. 

And sometimes, she has days. Days where the sorrow catches up to her, the grief overwhelms her. Days where it’s hard to breathe, difficult to speak. 

Glynda teaches her sign language. 

And they continue. 

\---

About nine months later, construction is completed. The halls are beautiful, with large glass windows in every corridor possible, so that no student will ever be without the warmth touch of the sun. 

There are new classrooms, and new materials for the teachers to work with. New dormitories. New courtyards. 

And there is a large, stone section of the castle right in the center of it all. It is named “The Hall of Remembrance.”

In it, portraits decorate the walls, with plaques, so that anyone who looks will never have to wonder who stares back at them. So many people adorn this hall. 

Winter. 

Willow. 

Summer.

Pyrrha. 

Penny. 

Ruby. 

Everyone is there. Everyone who fought and fell in the war, everyone who deserved to be remembered for their sacrifice. 

There’s a larger golden plaque, at the beginning of the hall. It reads:

“The Hall of Remembrance - dedicated to Remnant’s saviors. For Team RWBY, Team JNPR, those lost along the way, and those left alone in their stead. Here, we honor them.”

There is even a small section for each of Ozma’s reincarnations, each person whose life was stolen away by the gods themselves. It was difficult for Oscar to recall each of their names, their titles, and harder still to remember their likenesses, but it was agreed - they had sacrificed themselves as well. They had fought in this war. They should not have to be completely forgotten. 

And greeting every new student, in front of Beacon’s gates, there is a statue. It is no longer a sculpture of Hunters standing triumphantly over a defeated Grimm, a sign of victory in battle. 

Now, in that statue’s place, stands three new ones, of three women. 

The first - Pyrrha Nikos, weapons at the ready, a determined expression on her face. She is ready to protect, to save those who need saving. She looks like a true Huntress, a beautiful beacon of hope, a powerful fighter with a worthy cause. 

She was a warrior. 

The second - Penny Polendina, reaching out to the viewer with a kind, joyful smile. Her grin is fond, as if she’ll call out to you with a cheer of “Hello, friend!” Her hand extends, a sign of acceptance, of comradery, of love and peace.

She was a hero.

The third - Ruby Rose, standing behind the two women, her scythe raised, her gaze towards the heavens. A smile on her face, hair flowing behind her as if the wind was moving through it. Ready to fight. Ready to save. Ready to help. 

She was a leader. 

And it still hurts to walk through that hall, to see those statues. There’s still an ache, deep within Weiss’s heart. 

But over time, it has become bearable. 

\---

In the fall, Beacon opens. Students come pouring in the gates, excited and chattering, filled with the energy of youth, the joy of children, determination and hope shining in their eyes. 

Weiss sends a mental prayer to whoever is left above that these children will not meet the same fate as so many others. 

That this time, things will be different. 

Later that night, Weiss sits on her bed, scroll in her hands. She clenches her fists, bites her lip. C’mon. She can do this. It’s been more than six years. But they are still teammates, right? Are they still friends?

Are they still family?  
  


Weiss takes a deep breath. 

She presses the call button. 

The tone rings for a few moments, then…

Blake Belladonna’s face appears on screen. She looks shocked.

“Weiss?”

The ice queen inhales, and exhales. 

“Hi.”

The call does not last long. Maybe around thirty minutes. Yang joins about a minute after Blake picks up, and they talk. 

It’s stiff, and stilted, and awkward. It’s been so long. Weiss is still getting used to speaking again. And although they have not shattered like Weiss had, Blake and Yang were still grieving, still coping, in their own way. It isn’t quite perfect. It isn’t an instantly renewed connection, an immediately fixed friendship.

But it’s something. 

It is _progress._

When the call ends, Weiss sits in silence. And thinks. 

Miles away, Blake and Yang hold each other, and cry. 

They’ve all been broken for so long. Missing a part of themselves, missing a piece inside their heart.

And that section that has been empty is not suddenly full. But it is just a little, tiny bit less empty. 

And maybe, with time, they can become less broken.

Maybe, together, they can fix things.

\---

The calls continue. Every night, after dinner, there’s a call. They talk. They tell the other party about their day. Sometimes, Weiss signs instead of speaking. Yang and Blake are understanding. Luckily, the black haired Huntress happens to know sign language. 

Most often, their conversations aren’t in depth. Jokes. Stories. News. 

But each day, the gaping crevice that separates them becomes smaller and smaller.

And each day, Weiss is not so alone. 

\---

It’s been two months since the calls started. And Weiss decides that she’s officially lost her mind. 

“Would you… like to come stay with me in Vale? For a little while? 

Yang and Blake stare at her through the screen. 

“Sorry, what?” Yang asks.

Weiss flinches. “I said… would you like to come and visit me?”

Yang and Blake glance at each other, having some unspoken conversation. 

Weiss holds her breath. 

And Blake turns to the screen, tears in her eyes, and a smile on her face. 

“We’d love to.”  
  


\---

Blake and Yang arrive at Beacon on the first day of winter break. They’re… nervous, to say the least. Their scheduled time to arrive at Weiss’s home is still two hours away, so the couple treats themselves to a self guided tour around Beacon. 

Things are exactly the same, but so different at the same time. 

  
And they’d both be lying if they said they hadn’t shed a tear or two as they gazed up at the three new statues in front of the doors. 

They would be lying if they said they hadn’t sniffled, just a bit, when walking through the Hall of Remembrance. 

The hours pass by quickly, and Yang and Blake find themselves at Weiss Schnee’s door. 

It’s been nearly seven years. 

“Are you ready?” Yang questions with a nervous grin. 

Blake squeezes her hand. “Yeah.”

The door swings open. 

\---

Weiss paces back and forth. It’s been such a long time. What if she messes everything up? All her progress, all her effort to put her sorrow and mourning behind her, all her work…

No. Everything will be fine. Everything will be okay.

There’s a knock on the door. 

Weiss takes a deep breath, and opens it. 

Standing in front of her are Yang Xiao Long and Blake Belladonna. It’s not like she hasn’t seen them recently; they videochat every night. 

But this is the first time in more than six years that Weiss has seen them in person. Yang has an undercut that Weiss hadn’t noticed before. Blake has a matching one, although hers is hidden under her dark hair. Blake’s black hair floats just above her shoulders, and the tips are dyed a bright purple. 

Yang has a tattoo on her wrist. Although Weiss can’t see it too clearly from this distance, it looks like a bumblebee, with fiery wings. A strange choice, but Yang probably knows what she wants. 

Weiss knows she must look different too. Her hair is chopped short, hanging just below her ears, and she still wears black. She’s slowly started to bring white and blue back into her outfits, but the whimpering, grieving little voice in her heart tells her that she’s not ready. It’s not time. She can’t let go. 

Blake’s ears fold forwards, and she glances at Yang. Yang looks at the ground, prosthetic hand clasping her’s and Blake’s intertwined fingers tighter.

There is silence. 

And Weiss rushes forward, embracing both of them with a sob. She wraps her arms around her two old friends tightly, and releases another cry as they do the same. The three girls stand there for a minute, crying into each other’s arms. 

They’re together. 

They’re teammates. 

They’re family. 

And no matter what happened, no matter that there should’ve been a fourth member of their hug, no matter what caused the separation in the first place…

Things are going to be okay. 

\---

They spend the next few days together, eating meals, taking walks, sharing hugs. Weiss doesn’t talk as much as Yang and Blake do; that’s okay. Together, Blake and Weiss begin to teach Yang some sign language. Surprisingly, she’s pretty good. 

Weiss was worried, to say the least. She had abandoned them, while they were all hurting. Sure, Ruby and Penny had been her lovers, but they were still Blake and Yang’s friends - Ruby was their teammate, Yang’s _sister._

And Weiss had abandoned them. 

But somehow… that’s behind them. When she looks into Yang’s lilac eyes, Weiss can see that she holds no anger. Blake’s golden ones show no resentment. Finally, it has bottled up too long, and the question bursts out. 

“How can you just forgive me?” Weiss demands. 

Yang blinks. “What?”

Weiss signs furiously, then sighs. She opens her mouth to speak verbally. “After.. After that night… when everything was over, I just… left.”

Blake puts a hand on her shoulder. “For a while, it hurt. But…” She turns to Yang. 

The blonde Huntress nods. “I was upset, for a while. I was mad, and hurt. But you were hurting too. We all could see that.” 

Yang and Weiss lock eyes. 

“You lost both of them that night. And what you had to do… it was an awful thing, but you had no choice.”  
  


Weiss can feel the tears beginning to form again. She knows this, she knows, but-

“So we forgave you. We figured you had enough on your plate. You didn’t need us holding grudges to add to that,” Yang finishes.

Blake wraps Weiss up in a tight hug. “Besides,” she murmurs. “I understand. I know how you felt.” The Faunus smiles. “And it was you who reached out to us a few months ago, wasn’t it?”

Weiss nods, stunned. Yang joins the hug, the three of them embracing again. 

Yang and Blake leave the next day. Weiss waves to them as they go, signing a last goodbye. 

_I love you._

There’s still a hole in each of their hearts. But bit by bit, they are repairing each other. 

\---

They continue the video chats, every night. They confide in each other, cry together, reminisce. It’s only another month before Weiss is invited to Patch, to stay with Blake and Yang for a week. 

She accepts the offer. 

They do not do much activity. A sadness hangs in the air, a sorrow that Weiss knows is her own. This is the place where Ruby grew up. This is…

This is the place where Ruby and Penny are buried. 

Weiss, Blake, and Yang spend most of their time sitting in silence, just basking in each other’s company, revelling in the okayness of it all. It feels right. 

And on the last night, as the sun dips below the horizon, Weiss walks out to the cliff. 

Three headstones are waiting to greet her. 

Weiss glances at Summer’s nodding her head in respect, just in case she’s watching from somewhere above. But as she turns to the two others, Weiss doubts that she’ll be able to hold herself together. 

Tears fall from her eyes, and Weiss wraps her arms around herself as she kneels on the ground. It’s not fair. They shouldn’t have had to die. It should’ve been her. 

They all know that. 

And for the first time in a long while, Weiss truly wails her agony to the world. She does not care who she wakes. She screams and cries and sobs like the night when Ruby and Penny died, like if she is loud enough, she’ll get them back.

She knows that they are never coming back. 

Finally, she has screamed all that she can. Her throat is ragged, stinging. Her mouth is dry. 

The gleaming tears still fall from Weiss’s eyes. They drip onto the grass, seeping into the earth. This is not a fairytale; the princess’s tears will not bring back the fallen lovers. 

But that’s okay. Weiss looks to the stars, the same glimmers of light that shined down upon her on that night. The same, glowing, broken moon that has watched over Weiss all these years.

Weiss stands up, and regards each headstone. She smiles wetly. 

“I’m so, so sorry. I failed you. But I won’t let everything be in vain, okay?”

Her vision is blurry. She can barely see through the pouring tears. With a shaky sigh, Weiss continues. 

“I won’t forget you. Neither will Yang or Blake. Or Jaune, or Ren, or Oscar, or little Pyrrha.”

There’s a lump in Weiss’s throat as she lists the final name. “I hope you’re with Pyrrha now. The old Pyrrha. I hope that you’re together. I hope you’re watching over us.”

“I hope you know how much I miss you.”

“I hope you know how much I love you.”

Weiss wipes at her eyes, and takes one final look at the place where the two most important people in the world to her now rest. 

“Soon, my loves.”  
  


And although she knows she will never forget, never in a million lifetimes…

Weiss lets go. 

  
She turns, and heads back towards the house. 

She curls up in her bed. The rose fountain is not here with her; it remains back at Beacon, where Weiss can toss a penny in every night, listening to the sound as she falls asleep.

It’s usually hard for Weiss to find sleep without it. She’s become accustomed to the soft noise. 

But tonight, she falls asleep easily. There are no dreams. 

Weiss misses Penny and Ruby dearly, with everything she has. She isn’t quite done mourning. She doubts that she will ever be done grieving. 

But finally, she leaves the courtyard of the Schnee Manor. At last, Weiss is no longer tied down, a part of her very soul lingering at the spot where the bodies had lain in the moonlight and rain. 

The piece of her that died that night has not returned. And like she told Klein, it never will.

But, Weiss decides as she slips away, that’s okay. 

Everything will be okay. 

\---

Six months after her first visit to Patch, the school year ends. Weiss is just relaxing in her office when she gets another message. She hears the little _ding_ as she is signing goodbye to Professor Bramble while they pack up the last of their things and leave the building. 

Weiss picks up her scroll and studies the message, her face melting into a smile.

She’ll be spending the summer in Patch.

\---

Weiss can tell that something is different from the moment she approaches the door. An array of sounds pour from behind it.

She recognizes those voices. 

With a deep breath, Weiss opens the door. 

The scene before her is chaotic, and joyful, and utterly perfect. 

Blake and Yang laugh and point, teasing Jaune as he chases around little Pyrrha, who squeals with glee as the blue eyed Hunter pursues her around the living room. He crouches down, squat-running in order to be a decent size to chase the little girl. Yang holds her stomach, doubling over with laughter as Jaune bangs his head against the table. 

Ren is chopping vegetables by the sink, Nora leaning against the counter beside him. They both listen and laugh at a story that Whitley is telling, something silly that Oscar said in his sleep. Oscar huffs indignantly, and they all laugh at his protests. Nora ruffles his hair, and Ren rises up to give her a kiss on the cheek. Oscar snorts as Whitley’s face brightens and he turns away. Something about disliking PDA. 

As Weiss takes in the sight before her, a warm smell begins to waft through the air. Damn, that Ren is a good cook. 

And for a moment, she would have sworn that she could hear Ruby’s hysterical laughter, Penny’s sweet giggles. Just for a moment. 

And as everyone turns to Weiss, inviting her into their reunion, their stories, their family, everything is going to be okay. 

A family is a family, after all. 

No matter how long they’ve been apart.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!! all of these ideas for each section came from a conversation with [@EMBERSCELlCA](https://twitter.com/EMBERSCELlCA) on twitter as well (find their fics [here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/burnshoney/pseuds/burnshoney)), she's awesome!! feedback is always appreciated, and if there are any typos or tags I should add, please feel free to tell me :)
> 
> also. yes. weiss just kind of. uprooted the fountain and brought it with her to every new place where she lived. do not ask me how it fit in her home at beacon, because I didn't really think that through. 
> 
> and, if anyone wants a timeline, just ask! I can try to piece one together
> 
> [You can find me on twitter @ sapphicscarlett](https://twitter.com/sapphicscarlett) and here's a link to my [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.qa/sapphicscarlett) (ask me stuff!) <333 have a lovely day!!


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